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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29654661">Superior Intellect</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ozzyols/pseuds/Ozzyols'>Ozzyols</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lucifer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Actions and consequences, Based on True Events, Canon Compliant, Gen, No beta - we die like men!, School, dangers of not knowing what you are saying, math is a stupid subject, set somewhere in season 3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:54:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,931</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29654661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ozzyols/pseuds/Ozzyols</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Trixie has a problem at school and turns to Lucifer to help show them just how smart she is.</p><p>She might have been better to think it through.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chloe Decker &amp; Lucifer Morningstar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Superior Intellect</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story started as a "Tidbit" in my 'might use in future fic' pile.  It appears my Muse had different ideas!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a Friday morning, the halls of the school were eerily silent with all the students studiously involved in classes behind closed doors.</p><p>A sole adult walked down the linoleum decked hall and into the administration area.  Straightening her coat Chloe moved up to the reception desk.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Chloe Decker, I’m here to see Ms Bowditch?  I’m Trixie’s mum.  We have an appointment at eleven thirty.”</p><p>The young man behind the desk smiled pleasantly.  “If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll let her know you’re here.”  He indicated to a line of chairs against the wall.</p><p>Thanking the staff member, Chloe turned and went to sit down, a knot of worry forming in the pit of her stomach.  Lowering herself onto the slightly shorter than usual chair, Chloe adjusted her ponytail and repositioned her bag in her lap.  It had been a significant time passage since she’d been called to the school for something Trix had done.</p><p>A movement at the peripheral of her left side caught her attention</p><p>“Been a bad girl again have you Detective?” a lusciously smooth voice crooned as the owner took a seat beside her.</p><p>A smile twitched the corner of her mouth.  Trust Lucifer to find her.</p><p>“What has the child done this time?”</p><p>“I have absolutely no idea!” Chloe sighed.  Turning her head, she narrowed her eyes.  “What are you doing here anyway?”</p><p>“Daniel said that you had been called to the school and that he would not be able to be here.  I thought you might like some moral support given how unruly your offspring tends to be.”</p><p>Chloe snorted.  “I wonder when that all started?” she asked pointedly.</p><p>“I would assume when you started indulging her obsession with those revolutionary films she loves.”</p><p>“Revolutionary films?” Chloe asked, frowning.</p><p>“Yes!  How you expect to have a manageable child when you let her watch films like Frozen, Tangled and the like.  I mean, I am all for female empowerment.  But really Detective… Moana?  Are you trying to raise the next ‘Cher’ Guevara?”</p><p>Chloe simply stared at him incredulously… Was he really being serious?  Or was he deliberately trying to get a rise out of her.  The worst thing was, she truly didn’t know… the man could have the most ridiculously bland expression that was impossible to read when he wanted to!</p><p>“Ms Decker?” a woman’s voice interrupted her thoughts.</p><p>Looking up Chloe saw a young woman she guessed in her late twenties standing before them in a simple slacks and polo shirt combination.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Claire Bowditch, Beatrice’s teacher.”  She extended a hand in greeting.</p><p>“Oh!  Hi!”  Chloe said rising to her feet and accepting the handshake.</p><p>“Would you and Mr Espinoza like to follow me?” Claire asked gesturing towards a door off to the right of the reception area.</p><p>“Oh, Sorry… no… this isn’t Trixie’s father.” Chloe explained as Lucifer rose quickly to his feet, bristling ever so slightly.  “Dan has work commitments and can’t be here.  Lucifer’s my partner.”</p><p>“Aaah…” the teacher nodded as they arrived at the door to the meeting room.</p><p>“No… nothing like that…” she hurried on wanting to dissuade the young woman from jumping to the wrong conclusion.  “This is Lucifer Morningstar, my work partner.  He’s a civilian consultant with the LAPD.”</p><p>“I’m just here to provide support to the Detective in this most trying of times.” Lucifer offered, pulling the chair out from a small meeting table for Chloe.</p><p>“Trying times?” Claire asked taking a seat of her own.</p><p>“Of course.  We are here are we not?  There must be something amiss with her offspring.”</p><p>Chloe groaned inwardly and fervently wished she could stomp her very sensible brown shoe down on Lucifer’s very expensive Louboutin shoes. </p><p>Claire laughed lightly.  “I wouldn’t say anything was ‘amiss’ with Beatrice, but I just thought I would raise a couple of issues that have come up in class with you and get your perspective.”</p><p>“Sure, what would you like to know?” Chloe nodded.</p><p>There was a mild tightening around the woman’s eyes.  “Does Beatrice have regular exposure to a deeply religious household Ms Decker?” she asked, her question phrased carefully.  Religion and public schools rarely went hand in hand.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say regularly.” Chloe replied, “Her Abuelita – her Grandmother on her Father’s side – is a practicing Catholic but I wouldn’t say that she was deeply religious, and I wasn’t raised with a particular religious background.  Why?”</p><p>Claire ignored the question.  “What about more esoteric religions?” she hinted.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Chloe replied, her confusion growing.</p><p>“Well.  Has she shown interest in things like mythology, or the occult?”</p><p>Now Chloe was really confused.  “She loves fairy tales and myths and legends, but she’s at that age.”</p><p>“Has she mentioned to you about meeting… um… or having a guardian… um… Devil?”  The teacher almost winced as she said the last word.</p><p>“Well of course she does!” Lucifer replied automatically.  “I have the child’s very best interests at heart… I guess ‘guardian Devil’ has a nice ring to it.  Even if I wouldn’t choose it for myself!”</p><p>Both women stared at him.  Both in disbelief.  And both for <em>very</em> different reasons</p><p>It took everything in Chloe’s power not to thump the heel of her hand to her forehead in dismay.  He was going to play <em>that</em> card now?</p><p>To her credit, and Chloe’s extreme relief, Trixie’s teacher stared at Lucifer for a beat in horror, then started laughing.</p><p>“Riiigggght!  Lucifer!  Of course!  Very funny!”</p><p>Beside her, Lucifer huffed and opened his mouth to speak.</p><p>“Trixie’s always had a wonderful imagination.” Chloe interjected.  “And I do kind of encourage her to use it.  She’s an only child.” She said as way of an explanation.  “She sort of takes after me like that, I was too you see, she probably got the idea from my imaginary guardian.”</p><p>There was a none too subtle start from beside her.  From the corner of her eye Chloe saw Lucifer jerk even more upright than he was already sitting.  <em>Sheesh, if he got any more prickly he’d be a cactus</em>!  She thought.</p><p>“I am most certainly not imag…”</p><p>“My imaginary friend was a mini fuchsia Hippo named Eleanor.” Chloe pushed on, reaching across to lightly touch Lucifer’s arm, a tacit request for him to back down.</p><p>To her relief, the message was heard and understood as she felt his forearm relax.  If the gesture was noticed by the teacher, it was being discretely ignored.</p><p>“Beatrice is a wonderfully bright student and she is a delight to teach,” Claire smiled brightly, “however I guess the thing that concerns me the most is the language she has been using recently in class.  Especially to me.” The brightness dimmed a little as a more serious expression crossed her face.</p><p>Chloe’s heart sank.  The last time there had been a verbal run in with one of Trixie’s teachers about a year ago her daughter had called the woman a <em>mother flunker</em> and told her to <em>go to shell</em>!  If Miss Morgan was the teacher on duty when she collected Trixie from school, Chloe still got death glares from the older woman!  Surely Trixie couldn’t be doing that again?</p><p>“What do you mean?  What has she been saying?” a hint of concern tinging her voice.</p><p>Claire shook her head with a smile.  “Don’t worry Ms Decker…”</p><p>“Chloe’s fine.” she interjected.</p><p>“Chloe… She’s not been rude or disrespectful.  In fact, if anything she was in<em>credibly</em> respectful in a perverse kind of way…” Claire commented with a wry smile.</p><p>Chloe and Lucifer shared a startled glance.  <em>What on earth could have Trixie said</em>?</p><p>“I’ve intrigued you, haven’t I?”</p><p>“Most definitely.” Lucifer grinned.</p><p>Trust him to see the perverse fun in a situation like this.</p><p>“I think the best thing I can do is get Beatrice to come in and join us, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”  Claire nodded rising from her seat and moving to the door and leaning her head out.  A moment later the door pushed open a little wider and a small forlorn figure stepped into the room under Claire’s arm.</p><p>“Hello Mommy.” Trixie said quietly.</p><p>“Hey Monkey!” Chloe answered, holding her arms open to her daughter to call her over.</p><p>Hesitantly Trixie cross the room and hugged her mother.  “Hi Lucifer” she smiled.</p><p>“Hello Child.”</p><p>“So,” Claire said, sitting back down motioning for Trixie to sit in the chair next to her mother.  “Beatrice, I asked your Mom to come in today to talk about that expression you used in class this morning.”</p><p>“Oh.”  The response was part resignation and apprehension.</p><p>“You know the one I’m talking about, don’t you?” Claire probed gently.</p><p>“The one I said in maths?” the young girl questioned</p><p>“Yes, the one you said in maths.” Claire nodded solemnly.</p><p>“Stupid subject!”</p><p>The stereophonic mutter from the man and the child had the two women in the room look at each of them and then at each other.  Neither of them would admit, even under pain of death, that they had seen the other smother a quick smile.</p><p>Claire recovered first.  “Stupid subject it might be, but I really wasn’t expecting you to respond the way you did when I asked you if you were sure your answer was correct.”</p><p>“But you <em>knew</em> that it was Miss Bowditch!” Trixie objected.</p><p>“True, but I wanted to know that you knew it was!” Claire nodded.  “You could have just said ‘<em>Yes</em>’ as a response.”</p><p>“What did you say Trix?” Chloe prompted, now mildly worried.  A mop of curly hair dropped forward obscuring the youngsters face.  “Hey,” Chloe slid her index finger under Trixie’s chin and gently raised her face.  “No getting shy now.” She smiled. “What did you say to Miss Bowditch.”</p><p>Trixie huffed and rolled her eyes in resignation.</p><p>What came out of her daughters mouth next had Chloe’s jaw hitting the floor.</p><p>“Your sarcastic insinuations are too highly obnoxious to be psychologically appreciated by my superior intellect!”</p><p>“Oh!  Well. Done. Urchin!” Lucifer all but crowed!  “<em>Very</em> impressive delivery for a worthy retort!  Just as we rehearsed”</p><p>“LUCIFER!” Chloe hissed!  “You <em>didn’t</em>?” her voice pitched up an octave.</p><p>“What?” He turned in his chair to face her.  “The spawn was telling me she had someone who sometimes made her feel bad about what she said.  She asked if I knew anything she could say – that wasn’t ‘bad words’ – in response!”  He flicked his thumb nail against his fingers dismissively.  “I don’t see the problem.”</p><p>“But she’s not supposed to say it to her <em>teacher</em>!” Chloe retorted immediately.</p><p>“Well how was I supposed to know that?”</p><p>
  <em>Aaargh!</em>
</p><p>“I think we are getting off topic” Claire commented raising her voice a little.  “Beatrice, do you know what you said means?” Trixie shook her head sadly. “Did you ask Mr Morningstar what it meant before you used it?”  Another head shake.  “And you said you asked Mr Morningstar to give you something to say because someone made you feel bad.  Was that me?”  She leaned forward a little to bring her in line with Trixie’s gaze.  Trixie clenched her lips together and nodded.  “And you didn’t think to come and talk to me about it?”  A shake of the head.  “Okay.  So, what did I do or say that upset you?”</p><p>Trixie looked for her mom, to Lucifer and finally at Claire.</p><p>“You… you, always make me think I’m dumb.” She whispered finally, eyes bright with held back tears.</p><p>Claire sat back up and looked at the adults.</p><p>“Why do you say that Monkey?” Chloe asked gently.</p><p>“When I answer something, Miss Bowditch always asks me if I think I’m right.  But she never does that to the other kids in my class.”  Trixie sniffed.  “Jordan says that Miss Bowditch doesn’t like me and that that’s what she does to tell the other kids I’m dumb!”  Trixie’s lower lip trembled slightly.  “So I asked the smartest person I know to help me tell her what I thought with important words!”  Her gaze fell on her friend.</p><p>“Oh Bollocks” Lucifer murmured just loud enough for Chloe to hear.</p><p>
  <em>Bollocks indeed.</em>
</p><p>Claire drew in a deep breath.  “Okay Beatrice.  It seems we have some things we need to sit down and talk about together.  But I’ll let you know, I’m not picking on you for the reason you think.  You’re a really smart girl, but you sometimes answer before thinking things through.”</p><p>“But you always say my answers are right in the end!” Trixie retorted.</p><p>“Yes, but jumping in isn’t always the best way to do things Trix” Chloe replied before Claire could.  “Mommy might know right away who is guilty, but I still have to work things out and make sure my thoughts are right.”</p><p>Not to be left out Lucifer smiled at the young girl.  “Humans call it critical thinking Urchin.  Dad was very impressed when he gave it to you all.  Well, some of you.”</p><p>Chloe rolled her eyes and gave Claire a <em>don’t bother</em> expression by way of explanation.</p><p>“This doesn’t mean, however that you did the right thing.” Claire frowned.  “You should have come to speak to me, or your mom or explain to Mr Morningstar exactly what was going on.  So now we have to talk about the consequences of your actions.”</p><p>Trixie’s eyes widened slightly.</p><p>“Don’t worry.  I’m not going to make you do anything horrible, and nobody is going to know about this but the four of us.  To make up for what you said and to help you understand that saying things you don’t know the meaning of is a really bad idea, I want you, by start of class on Monday to have looked up the words and written them out ten times in your neatest hand writing okay?”  The wide eyes took on a look of panic.  “It’s okay.  You can ask your mom to help you look the words up and write it out the first time but then when she’s done that, you need to do the rest.  When you come to school on Monday we’ll sit down and I will help you know what the words mean.”</p><p>Trixie nodded with the enthusiasm of a snail on Valium.</p><p>Claire sat back and smiled.  “Right.  I think that’s enough for now… You can go on, the lunch bell’s about to ring I think”</p><p>As if right on cue, the strident tone of the bell echoed in the hall outside.  Trixie stood and looked seriously at her teacher.</p><p>“I’m sorry Miss Bowditch.” She said as way of an apology.</p><p>“I know you are Beatrice.”</p><p>Trixie turned and gave her mother a quick hug before rushing out of the room.</p><p>Claire crossed her arms.  “She really is one of the brightest kids I’ve got in my class.  You should be proud of her.”</p><p>Chloe felt mortified.  “I’m so sorry… I had no idea!”</p><p>The young teacher flapped her hand in a dismissive gesture.  “Trust me!  I know exactly where Beatrice is coming from.  I made the same mistake… sort of… when I was about her age, only mine was much, much worse!” She chuffed as she seemed to remember.  “I was just starting junior high in 2001 and I thought I was being smart and said something rather brazenly to my French teacher… my, Young. Male. French teacher, without knowing the meaning.”</p><p>“What did you say?” Chloe asked intrigued</p><p>“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?” Claire winced</p><p>Lucifer’s eyes glittered.  “You asked him if he wanted to sleep with you tonight?”  He grinned, lightly licking his lips.  “Precocious”</p><p>Claire threw her hands up in the air.  “Hey, in my defense <em>Moulin Rouge</em> had just become a hit, <em>Lady Marmalade</em> was rocketing up the charts and I thought it sounded cool!”</p><p>Chloe laughed.  “Didn’t go too well?”</p><p>Claire rose to her feet, indicating that the meeting was done.</p><p>“You have no idea!  It got me a three-day suspension for propositioning a teacher, apparently he wanted to make an example of me, and I had to write that damn line out one-hundred times!  In cursive!”</p><p>The two women were laughing as they re-entered the reception, Lucifer trailing behind.</p><p>“Speaking of writing things out.” Chloe said, a dangerous look in her eyes.  “Trixie would never have said that to you if she hadn’t had help.  So, I think what’s good for the gosling is good for the Gander as it were.”</p><p>Claire caught Chloe’s drift immediately and the both turned in unison back towards the King of Hell.</p><p>Lucifer looked up from whatever it had been he was fiddling with on his phone into the steely eyes of the women.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Narrowing their gaze to dangerous slits, the glanced at each other.</p><p>“One hundred?” Chloe stated matter of fact.</p><p>“One hundred!” Claire nodded</p><p>“Cursive?”</p><p>“Cursive!”</p><p>Now it was time for Lucifer’s eyes to widen in stunned realisation.</p><p>“De<strong>TEC</strong>tive!” He all but squeaked.</p><p>“On my desk, first thing Monday morning mister!” Chloe barked.</p><p>“But!”</p><p>“But nothing!  You should have known better… and let’s put it this way… no working a case, or spending time with me until they are done.  Kapish?</p><p>They watched in quiet amusement as a bevy of emotions warred on his face, finally settling into one of annoyed disgust.  “Kapish.” He muttered through gritted teeth.</p><p>When neither woman moved, Lucifer stuffed his phone into the inside jacket pocket and stomped off down the corridor grumbling to himself about the absurdities of education; the hearty laughter of the two women dogging his every step.</p><p>So much for Superior Intellect!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ok.  So I said this is based on a true story... and yes it is, two actually.</p><p>1)  The expression Trixie uses in the story was one that my Mum used on her teacher back when she was about 12 years old.  I always remember her telling me the story and the fact that her teacher made her write it out 100 times.  She said she could barely *say* the words, let alone try and spell them.</p><p>2) The Moulin Rouge story actually happened to the daughter of a co-worker of mine.  She got a call to come and collect her kid from school after she had propositioned (inadvertently) her French teacher.  The teacher and the school decided to suspend her to make an example of the fact you should never say something - especially in a foreign language, unless you knew the meaning of it.</p><p>I hope you enjoyed it and all feedback is greatly appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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